You Make Me Wanna Stout | 8 Things You Should Know About Stout

By Tessa Gallagher24th May 2016

Being the big craft beer fans that we are here at The Urban List, we love doing most things with a majorly refreshing beer in hand.

And if you love craft beer like us, you’d be smart to get your mitts on one of Little Creatures brand new beers, The Hotchkiss Six.

A delicious smooth stout, with dark chocolate, caramel malt and roasted barley flavours, it is, in our humble opinion, a dang fine tasting stout and an excellent brew to kick back with over winter this year.

To celebrate the release of The Hotchkiss Six, we’ve teamed up with the craft beer legends themselves, Little Creatures, to bring you 8 things you need to know about stout.

So get drinking…I mean, reading!

#1. It All Started In London

Stouts have a proud British heritage that dates back to the 1600’s. Pub owners used to offer porters a special blend of beers which were strong in flavour, took longer to spoil, which increased in alcohol content with age, were significantly cheaper and were not easily affected by heat. These beers were referred to as ‘Porters’. The strongest types of Porter were referred to as ‘Stout Porters’ and eventually this was shortened to ‘Stout’. Stouts were born!

#2. The Dark Colour Is Meant To Resemble Burnt Toast

Stouts are very dark, almost black in colour, and feature heavily roasted flavours and aromas. This is achieved when brewers use malt that has been heavily kilned until it resembles burnt toast.

#3. But It Doesn’t Mean It’s Heavier Than Regular Beer

Most people think that the colour of beer is directly related to its weight so dark beers are rich, heavy and full of calories but stouts can be lighter and lower in calories than regular beer. Don’t think you’ll like it? If you like chocolate and coffee, you just might love stout!

#4. There’s Loads Of Different Types

Stout is a dark beer made using roasted malt, roasted barley, hops, water and yeast. While the first thing that comes to mind when people hear the word stout is a black pint of Guinness, there are heaps of different stouts like dry stout, which has dark, roasted flavours balanced by pleasant bitterness and oatmeal stout which is made with oatmeal in the mash. There’s also oyster stouts, sweet stouts, cream stouts and imperial stouts. So many stouts!

#5. You’re Not Meant To Serve It Cold!

Stouts are ideally served warmer than lagers and light ales—wine cellaring temperature is ideal and in general, a good rule of thumb is the darker the beer, the warmer the serving temperature.

#6. The Cooking Options Are Endless

Ok, so we know it’s great for drinking but stout can form the basis of heaps of amazing meals, like stews and pies and even brownies!

#7. You Can Match It To Delicious Food

Why limit food and alcohol pairings to cheese and wine? Stout is a great companion to richer foods, where the malty, caramel and roast characters can complement dishes like chargrilled meat and even chocolate dishes. Hello lamb shanks, chocolate pudding and a delicious Hotchkiss six!

#8. There’s Festivals Dedicated To It

There are so many incredible craft beer festivals all around Australia these days, like GABS—the annual Great Australasian Beer Spectacular—a beer, cider and food festival, where you’ll be able to get up close and personal with the best artisan breweries from around the world in Melbourne (May 22-24), Sydney (May 27-28) and Auckland (June 18).

Editor's note: This article is proudly sponsored by Little Creatures and endorsed by The Urban List. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who make The Urban List possible. Click here for more information on our editorial policy.

Contact

Connect With Us

Update to privacy policy and how we use cookies

We use cookies (om nom nom nom) to provide a better online experience, including to serve targeted ads. By using our website, you accept our use of cookies. For more information see our privacy and information policy